Where Kafka went for a walk

German poets and writers tell stories of faraway lands and magical worlds, of everyday life and the extraordinary. But where did they find inspiration? 

Franz Kafka in Berlin 

Although he spent most of his life in Prague, it was love that drew Franz Kafka to Berlin in 1923. He and his partner Dora Diamant wandered through “the silent autumnal boulevards” in the Steglitz district of the city. He drank with his author friends in Cafe Josty, and basked in the warmth of the glasshouse in the Botanical Garden. In Berlin he longed to live freely at last, but his health meant he had to leave the city. 

Thomas Mann in Lübeck 

Thomas Mann achieved global renown for novels such as “The Magic Mountain” (1924), and “Buddenbrooks”, his debut (1901). It tells the story of a mercantile family from Lübeck, which Mann modelled on the history of his own family. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929 for the work. If you want to retrace Mann’s steps through the city in which he grew up, you will find numerous places in Lübeck which recall his life and work. 

Cornelia Funke in Dorsten 

For over 20 years, Cornelia Funke has been enchanting readers around the world through her books. Her “Inkheart” series, in which characters in books come to life as they are read aloud, has been published in over 20 languages. Funke grew up in Dorsten in North Rhine-Westphalia. As a child, she made weekly visits to the local library, which was built on stilts. For her, it seemed like a treehouse. Funke (and libraries) can now be found elsewhere, although a group continues to invite bookworms to read in the “Treehouse”. 

Goethe und Schiller in Weimar 

At first, neither could stand the other, but they went on to become friends. They were none other than Johann Wolfgang Goethe und Friedrich Schiller. At the highpoint of their careers, the two poets moved to Weimar in Thuringia, where they remained for the rest of their lives, each a source of inspiration for the other. “You have granted me a second youth and made me a poet once again,” Goethe wrote to Schiller in 1798. Nowadays, visitors to the Goethe National Museum or the house in which Schiller lived find themselves transported back to the age of Weimar Classicism. 

Hermann Hesse in Calw 

In “Siddhartha” (1922), Hermann Hesse sought to understand the meaning of life. The novel would go on to make him famous around the world. A monument in his hometown of Calw in Baden-Württemberg commemorates his early life. Hesse had a lifelong connection to the town. “As a poet, when I speak of the forest, the river, the Wiesental valley, the shadows of chestnut trees or the scent of pines, I am speaking of the forest around Calw,” he said. 

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff in Meersburg 

Thanks to works such as “The Jew's Beech-Tree” (1842), Annette von Droste-Hülshoff is considered one of the most significant German poets of the 19^th century. She spent her final years living with her sister in Meersburg Castle on Lake Constance. In Meersburg, she acquired her own little home, known as the “Little Prince’s House. However, in 1848 she died in the castle which is now a museum open to visitors.